US1076949A - Valve-tube. - Google Patents

Description

E. W. CALDWELL.

VALVE TUBE.

APPLICATION IILEDAPR. 19, 1912.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

WITNESSES 9 1; Q

EUGENE CALDWELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VALVE-TUBE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 19, 1912.

Patented Oct. 28,1913.

Serial No. 691,804.

To all ax/mm, it may concern Be it known that I, Eoonnn W. CALD- WELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have made certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Valve-Tubes, of which the following is a specification,

. taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms part of the same.

This lnvention relates especially to valve tubes of the Villard type provided with a cathode arranged to coact with cooperating regulating means so as to automatically regulate the vacuum or condition of the tube and promote uniformity of operation. The high vacuum valve tube may be provided for instance with a coiled or other large surface cathode having a portion capable of producing a concentrated or eifective cathode stream when the tube gets into regulating condition because of high vacuum or the like. In this way the cathode stream or heat ing effects may act upon any cotiperating means capable of introducing into or producing within the tube suitable gas or vapor to reduce the tube vacuum, for instance the cathode stream may impinge upon suitably disposed gas generating material to liberate gas therefrom and regulate the vacuum or other electrical discharge condition of the tube, preferably until it is restored to its normal critical condition in which this heating or regulating action no longer takes place but is imminent.

In the accompanying drawing showing in a somewhat diagrammatic manner several illustrative embodiments of this invention, Figure 1 shows in central section a form of Villard tube of this character. Fig. 2 hows another form of tube; and Fig. 8 shows still another modification.

The tube may have a suitable body of any desired size and shape, and as indicated in Fig. 1, the substantially cylindrical tube body 1 may be connected with the neck 2. The support 3 in this neck may hold in position the end 4: of the cathode electrode which may be electrically connected with the terminal 17 projecting on the outside of the tube. The enlarged surface cathode may be formed of any suitable material and may be given any desired contour, preferably com prising a focusing portion adapted to focus or concentrate the cathode stream under regulating conditions. For this purpose the cathode may be provided with a suitable focusing portion in the shape of the substantially spherical cathode cup (5 which may be electrically connected with or supported on the cathode in any desired way as by hemg connected on the end of the cathode coil 5 of aluminum wire or other suitable material. It is desirable for some purposes to have the focusing portion of the cathode comprise only a small portion of its effective area so as to secure a moderate regulating action when the tube requires regulation, although this is not necessary in all cases. The focusing portion of the cathode may cooperate in any desired way with suitably mounted means or material for reducing the tube vacuum which may, if desired, be located within the tube. As indicated the cathode cup may cooperate with a suitable carrier ball 9 formed of porous or fibrous material, such as pure asbestos fiber wound or compacted into a ball and impregnated with suitable gas generating material, such for instance as sodium or potassium hydrate, or prclcrably sodium formate which has been thoroughly dried. The carrier may be mounted in any desired way and as indicated the carrier ball 9 may be loosely mounted within a suitable spherical cavity in the holder 7 located, if desired, in a correspoiuling recess 8 in the side of the tube so that the carrier ball may move freely around in this cavity and bring different portions of its surface into cooperation with the cathode cup which under regulating conditions focuses the cathode stream 10 upon this carrier so that under these conditions gas is evolved from the gas generating material and the tube vacuum is correspondingly lowered. The tube may as indicated be provided with a suitable connection 10 communicating with the restricted anode passage 11. and the anode chamber 12. The small surface anode 1% within this chamber may be held in position by the support 13 and connected by the metallic connection 15 with the terminal 16 on the outside of the tube.

It seems desirable for uniform operation that these valve tubes should be operated at about the critical condition at which the vacuum, resistance and so forth are such as to produce no substantial disclurge regulating action such as concentration of the cathode stream or heating effects on the gas by a. relatively slight increase in the vacuum,

. resistance and so forth, 'so' that the tube passes quickly from the critical condition to the regulating condition in which there is sufficient focusing or concentration of the the reduced end 5970f the tube.

ing a suitable operating weight 61 on the cathode stream to produce heating effects and evolve gas from the gas generating material to lower the vacuum. In this way the automatic regulating act-ion of the tube is quite uniform and gradual, especially when only a relatively small portion of the cathode surface has such focusing or regulating action. In the form of tube illus-H trated in Fig. 1 when for instance the vacuum in the tube rises to such extent as to bring the tube into regulating condition the cathode stream is concentrated suificiently upon the carrier to produce heating eil'ects in the gas generating'rnatcrial therein sufi r' cient to gradually evolve gas and automatically reduce the vacuums-rid restore the tube to the critical COIldllZlOn in which the oath ode stream is no longer suficiently concentrated to produce these regulating efiects. Reliable operation of these tubes can thus be secured especially when a number of them are used in series to secure substantially therethrough for the rectification of high potential alternating currents of relatively of a focusing portion which may be given the form of a concave cup 62 which may have a central hole 63 and be supported by the stem 5% mounted in lateral extension 69 of the tube. Under normal conditions of desirable low vacuum the cathode stream is dispersed and the tube has the normal valve action. When, however, the tube vacuum becomes undesirably high the cathode stream is concentrated so as to strike the salt 57 mounted upon a suitable support 177 so as to evolve sufiicient gas to reduce the vacuum and again disperse the cathode stream and stop the evolutionof gas. The support 17 7 may be made adjustable within the tube by being mounted on a threaded stem 84 which may cooperate with a suitable nut 16% mounted in the tubular glass support 159 in By securstem 6% the rotation of the threaded stem and consequent screw adjustment of the support 17 7- maybe secured by holding the tube unidirectional electrical discharges with its axis substantially horizontal and, rotating it to the desired extent.

Still another form of self-regulating valve tube is indicated iIiFi'g. 3 in which the enlarged cathode 71 may be given the, concave form indicated and be mounted on the metallicstem 73 in the extension 59 of the tube. The anode 58 is mounted in the usual way in the other end of thetube beyond the V restricted passage or neck 157 'of the anode chamber 60 and may have electrically connected therewith by the wire 72 or otherwise a suitable elect-rode. 66 arranged in a suitable depression 70 in the tube and surrounded with a mass of high insulation 85.

When the vacuum in the tube becomes undesirubly high the potential difference between the cathode and the anode is correspondingly increased and this increases the elec trical attraction between the cathode stream 68 and the electrode 66 so as to attract the cathode. stream toward the electrode and cause its impingement upon the gas producing salt 57 on a suitable support .67 mounted in the tube. W'hen, however, the vacuum is sufliciently reduced to restore the tube to its normal critical condition, the cathode stream no longer impinges sufiiciently on the sup-' 7 port to cause further action on the salt car ried thereby.

Having described the invention in this case which contains subjectmatter taken from my copending application, Serial No. 638,628efiled July 15, 1911 of which thiscase is a continuation, in connection with a number of illustrative embodiments, forms, proportions, materials, arrangements and connections of parts, to the details of which dis closure the invention is not of course to be limited, what is claimed as new and what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is l. The self-regulating Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum tube provided with a restricted anode passage and communicating small areaanode chamber hav ing an anode mounted therein, a large sur face cathode mounted within said tube and comprising a cathode coil and a focusing portion in the form or a substantially spherical cathode cup, a carrier ball formed of porous fibrous asbestos impregnated with gas generating material to cooperate with the focusing-portion of said cathode and a holder having a substantially spherical cavity in which said carrier ball is loosely mounted to bring difierent portions of the gas generating material into cotiperatio-n with the focusing portion of the cathode and to generate gas by the cathode stream produced during the discharge regulating condition of thegzube.

2. The self-regulating Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum tube -.provided with a small area anode chamber having an anode mounted therein, a large surface cathode mounted within said tube and comprising a focusing portion in the form of a cathode cup, a carrier ball formed of po rous. fibrous asbestos impregnated with gas enerating material to coiiperate with the ocusing portion of said cathode and a holder having a substantially spherical cavity in which said carrier ball is loosely mounted to bring different portions of the gas generating material into cooperation with the focusing portion of the cathode and to generate gas by the cathode stream produced during the discharge regulating condition of the tube.

3. The self-regulating Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum tube provided with a small area anode chamber having an anode mounted therein, a large surface cathode mounted within said tube and comprising a focusing portion, a carrier ball formedof porous material impregnated with gas generating material to cooperate with the focusing portion of said cathode and a a holder having a cavity in which said carrier ball is loosely mounted tobring different portions of the gas generating material into cooperation with the focusing portion of the cathode and to generate gas by the cathode stream produced during the discharge regulating condition of the tube.

4. The self-regulating Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum tube, an anode mounted in the tube, a large surface cathode mounted within the tube and comprising a focusing portion, acarrier impregnated with gas generating material to co'iiperate With the focusin portion of said cathode and a holder in w ich said carrier is loosely mounted to bring different portions of the gas generating material into cooperation with the focusing portion of the cathode and to generate gas by the cathode stream produced during the discharge regulating condition of the tube.

5. The self-regulating Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum mounted in the tube, a large surface cathode mounted within the tube and gas generating material in the tube to coiiperate with said cathode and to generate as by the cathode stream produced during tie discharge regulatin condition of the tube.

6. he self-regulating Villard type valve tube, an anode tube comprising a vacuum tube provided with a small area anode chamber having an anode mounted therein, a large surface cathode mounted within said tube and comprising a focusing portion in the form of a cathode cup and gas generating material including sodium formate to cooperate with the focusing portionof said cathode and to generate gas by the cathode stream produced during the discharge regulating condition of the tube and thereby restore the tube to the critical condition in which the substantial concentration of the cathode stream and heating effects are not produced.

-7. The self-regulating Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum tube provided with a small area anode chamber having an anode mounted therein, a large surface cathode mounted Within said tube and comprising a focusing portion and gas generating material to coiiperatewith the focusing portion of said cathode and to generate gas during the discharge regulating condition of the tube and thereby restore the tube to the critical condition in which substantial heating effects are not produced.

8. The self-regulating Villard type Valve tube comprising a vacuum tube provided with a small area anode chamber having an anode mounted therein, a large surface cathode mounted within said tube and comprising a focusing portion and means c ooperating with the focusing portion of said cathode to reduce the vacuum of said tube a when the concentrated stream cooperates with said means during the discharge regulating condition of the tube and to thereby restore the tube to the critical condition in which substantial concentration of the cathode stream and heating effects are not produced.

9. The self-registering Villard type valve tube comprising a vacuum tube having ananode mounted therein, a large surface cathode mounted within said tube and means cooperating with said cathode to reduce the vacuum of said tube during the discharge regulating condition of the tube and thereby restore the tube to the critical condition in which substantial heating effects are not produced.

EUGENE W. CALDWELL. Witnesses:

S. CLAIRE KELLY, THOMAS J. BIKER.

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